Ash Platinum Blonde: Tips To Achieve The Cleanest Lift

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Achieving platinum ash blonde on hard-to-lift hair IS possible, and the queen of blonding, Josie Vilay (aka @josievilay) is here to teach you how. Josie went live at The BTC House in West Hollywood to demo how she achieves a pure ash blonde, plus her pro tips for root touch-ups and setting client expectations (because we all know that some clients just won’t see these results). Get her advice below, then watch the entire how-to—purchase the How To Achieve The Perfect Ash Blonde video with Josie on BTC University!

Products Used

1. First thing first—new clients in Josie’s Winnipeg salon must fill out a new client kit detailing their previous hair history, starting level and desired level. The form stipulates that it may not be possible to achieve the client’s desired look in one session (or in any session, depending on the hair), and it clearly states that no refunds will be given. This upfront approach works well for Josie, who always asks to see photos of what a client desires and always has a backup option to suggest when she knows platinum isn’t possible.

2. For a process like this, you’ll need help mixing bowls of lightener. Josie prefers Schwarzkopf ProfessionalBLONDME Bond Enforcing Premium Lightener 9+ and uses varying developer levels (on this client she used six different lightener formulations) to achieve even lift as she works around the head. Plus, mixing fresh bowls of bleach ensures she gets the most out of the product.

3. Blonde clients see EVERY dark spot and WILL call you in a week to tell you about it. So work cleanly, saturate thoroughly, and be super mindful in the front sections to get every. Single. Baby hair. Use a lot of pressure with the brush here and don’t miss a single hairline strand. Watch the gif below to see how Josie does it!

4. For a correction like this, start with the roots. Then, bring the lightener down onto the band, using cotton to separate each section. (Why cotton? If the lightener expands during development, cotton absorbs it.)

5. Once the roots and mids achieve a pale yellow, hit the ends with a fresh batch of lightener at a lower volume. Here, Josie uses foil to speed incubation, and a wide-tooth comb helps her ensure full saturation. The BLONDME Bond Enforcing Premium Lightener 9+ has an elastic-like consistency, so combing through won’t cause it to flake away, Josie says.

6. A quick trick for clients with over-toned hair (like if she went too hard on the purple shampoo): Josie recommends a “glam wash” to remove build-up. This is her version of a shampoo cap, using lightener, developer and shampoo.

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